Paying tuition no longer a difficult chore; checklist helps with payments
Trying to understand the tuition billing statement can give students headaches.
Thanks to the Office of Student Account Services and University Billing, working with it just got a little easier.
“We now have a new brochure called ‘Steps to Success,’ and we sent that to any new freshmen or international students,” said director Cindy Rubingh. “It also tells them what they need to do when they come to (Central Michigan University).”
One part which can get confusing is why the amount due on the billing statement is different from the actual amount charged to the account. But Rubingh said it is not hard to understand.
“That is when they would look at the current activity. We put everything on that account (in) real time,” she said.
The current billed amount is the amount charged in the last billing statement. The current activity screen shows what was charged to the student account as of the current date.
Student Services Court Manager Amber Loomis also said the inability to make payments over the phone adds to the confusion, especially for parents.
“Another big question is, ‘Can you take a payment over the phone?’ And we can’t. Our offices cannot process payments,” she said. “Students can set up their parents as an authorized payer.”
Students can use the Portal and click on Finances, then Grant Payment Access.
Though some students have trouble reading their statements, Plymouth senior Angie Schommer said she has not.
“To be honest with you, I just get the e-mail notification. My parents pay the tuition and they get an e-mail, too,” she said. “I guess we haven’t had problems with it, except they don’t take Visa anymore, and that’s the only card my parents have.”
